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Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

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Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#111

Post by monerozcash »

exogenousdata wrote: post #98
monerozcash wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just push for better regulation instead of resorting to childish vandalism?

More childish than the process of getting new regulations against big-tech approved in local government? I’d say it’s a tie, at best. Was the Boston Tea Party childish vandalism or heroic patriotism? Only history gets to decide how the actions of disobedience are ultimately judged.

I suspect that as a rule, anyone comparing their own activities to things like the Boston Tea Party is pretty much always wrong.

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#112

Post by xn »

browningstreet wrote: post #80

I’ve lived in coastal tech cities but I’ve never done DoorDash, or Uber eats, or anything by robots. Obviously I’m not the norm with these behaviors but I also don’t understand market demand when I see so many DoorDash vehicles at McDonalds, while the news also talks about how McDonald’s is suffering because they lost the poor income demographic. I also work from home so going and getting my food, in person, is a wel…

If you bill hourly, $15 for an extra billable hour is a good deal.

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#113

Post by exasperaited »

zarzavat wrote: post #59
adventured wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no scenario where these delivery bots survive US city sidewalks. They will be hijacked, destroyed/attacked, vandalized heavily. The police will not be able to do anything about it. The business model will not survive the US, unless the companies plan to deploy delivery tanks. It'll thrive in safer cities around the world though.

I'm not sure if you'd consider London to be a safe city but these things won't survive in London either. People are already pissed off about delivery ebike riders, who disobey laws and ride dangerously. But there's very little you can do about humans. A helpless robot that is causing a hazard to pedestrians? A ULEZ-style strike force will be mobilized to drive them out. And what about blind and partially sighted peop…

Well, London is a safe city by US standards.

But putting that aside, the biggest problems these things will have in the UK is a completely different conception of walkability even compared to, say, NYC.

People walk everywhere, pavements are cluttered and crowded, the vast majority of roads are not grid-structured almost anywhere in the UK, etc. So much so that when US firms do consider testing these things properly in the UK they will have to pick somewhere like Bath or Worthing or Hove: enough wealthy people to try it, and easy, grid-structured roads. Not many other good candidates.

The second problem they will face is the nature of protest. People won’t vandalise them. There will, however, be extensive civil mischief: people will box them in, mislead them, cover their sensors with googly eyes and woolly hats, put traffic cones on them, and generally make the whole scheme unworkable. And that is if councils don’t outright ban their operators.

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#114

Post by delichon »

chasd00 wrote: post #102
itsdesmond wrote: post #15

I live in a Chicago neighborhood where these are in use. They have very bright lights, actually blinding you as you approach one at night. They move much faster than is appropriate on a sidewalk. They position themselves in the middle of the sidewalk as opposed to the right hand side, impacting traffic in both directions. They round corners at intersections at below-eye-level, I’ve walked into more than one when they…

> I offered no aid. My teens call them “clankers” and are by no means fans of them. I’m surprised those things aren’t constantly stolen or vandalized.

I've never seen one but aren't they festooned with cameras, and live streaming?

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#115

Post by abdullahkhalids »

derektank wrote: post #44
alistairSH wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the more reason to build separate infrastructure for bicycles and other “in-between” vehicles.

Yeah, depending on the speed of these vehicles, it seems like bike lanes are the appropriate place for them. A smart city could even offer companies an opportunity to fund the buildout of additional bike lanes if there aren’t any existing in the neighborhood in question

A slow moving robot on a sidewalk in the worst case makes it inconvenient for pedestrians, and robs the rights of those in wheelchairs etc.

A medium speed robot in the bike lane in the worst case causes a fatal or broken-bone accident.

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#116

Post by recursive »

whyenot wrote: post #68
crote wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how much better for the environment it'd be if your delivery was brought to you via a human-powered bicycle. Or as an in-between: e-bikes and e-mopeds. Using 2,000lb vehicles for last-mile burrito delivery is a "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" scenario. Delivery robots are an improvement because literally anything is.

Why are you assuming that a human would be more efficient and better for the environment than an electrically powered robot? It is very inefficient (approx 25%) to use food as an energy source, and humans are always burning energy. They can't turn off at night or when they are idle. I think it is very likely that the robot would be better for the environment than the person.

What does "good" for the environment even mean? I always assumed it means "good" for human purposes. But if we replace humans with robots, then the goodness of the environment seems somewhat moot.

Oceans filled with plastic would be "good" for something. Just probably not us. Maybe robots?

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#117

Post by array_key_first »

climb_stealth wrote: post #29
crote wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how much better for the environment it'd be if your delivery was brought to you via a human-powered bicycle. Or as an in-between: e-bikes and e-mopeds. Using 2,000lb vehicles for last-mile burrito delivery is a "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" scenario. Delivery robots are an improvement because literally anything is.

God forbid someone would use their own two legs to walk and eat that burrito at the restaurant /s The extend to which some people get food delivered is absurd. I'm sure there exceptions and reasons and everything, but seriously.

I think it's a symptom of our work culture and lifestyle. When people are spending anywhere between 1-2 hours a day in a car going to a job that sucks the life out of them, I'm not surprised they don't have the energy to get food for themselves.

Convenience services thrive in America because it's the only way the working class can claw back a teensy bit of time and energy. We could have had hybrid or even remote work, but that dream is dead. Traffic sucks, outside is loud and stinky, and you're in the office minimum 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. Minimum. I actually don't know anyone who works that little.

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#118

Post by Larrikin »

delichon wrote: post #114
chasd00 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I offered no aid. My teens call them “clankers” and are by no means fans of them. I’m surprised those things aren’t constantly stolen or vandalized.

I've never seen one but aren't they festooned with cameras, and live streaming?

The escooters also are supposedly equipped with cameras and other deterants. Has anyone ever gotten in trouble for kicking them in to a bush when they are in the way?

Re: Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

#120

Post by dweinus »

whyenot wrote: post #68
crote wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how much better for the environment it'd be if your delivery was brought to you via a human-powered bicycle. Or as an in-between: e-bikes and e-mopeds. Using 2,000lb vehicles for last-mile burrito delivery is a "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" scenario. Delivery robots are an improvement because literally anything is.

Why are you assuming that a human would be more efficient and better for the environment than an electrically powered robot? It is very inefficient (approx 25%) to use food as an energy source, and humans are always burning energy. They can't turn off at night or when they are idle. I think it is very likely that the robot would be better for the environment than the person.

...so, are assuming that the humans stop eating/existing after you replace them with a robot?
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